StreetAdvisor.com, an entry into the "neighborhood rating" game, is revising and upgrading their site.

A press release dated Aug 1 says this about StreetAdvisor:

StreetAdvisor Launches New Services, Gives People Greater Insight into What It’s Really Like to Live Somewhere

StreetAdvisor lets home owners, buyers, and renters share their experiences at the street, neighborhood, city and state levels

SAN FRANCISCO – August 1, 2007 — StreetAdvisor.com today introduced a suite of new upgrades to its popular online community, giving homeowners, renters, and buyers a place to review, share, and learn exactly what it’s like to live somewhere.
 
StreetAdvisor.com is an entirely new kind of online real estate community powered by crowd-sourced reviews, photos, and videos.  The new StreetAdvisor provides a real-life "insider" view making it the essential guidebook to finding the right street to call home, connecting with neighbors, and discovering new things, documented by the people who have lived there.
 
Consumers can learn and share vital details about where they live including noise levels, traffic, neighbors, entertainment, and public services, etc., much in the same way people share their experiences with products and travel at popular online shopping and travel sites. It also allows for firsthand recommendations and negative experiences about local businesses, entertainment, services, lifestyle, and back road gems.

I first heard about StreetAdvisor back in March from a TechCrunch post. I took a peak back then, and while the site was well put together and quite slick and cool in a Web 2.0 sort of way, it was completely devoid of content for the Phoenix area.

So I took another look today. 4 months later there are a total of 5 "streets" (neighborhoods) reviewed in Phoenix–the most recent review being completed in May.

Review counts for other major cities in the Phoenix Metro Area:

Mesa: 0
Gilbert: 0
Chandler: 0
Tempe: 1
Scottsdale: 0
Peoria: 0
Glendale: 0

Hmmm….. fifth largest metro area in the United States and there are a total of six reviews….

Thinking that maybe it's just a Phoenix thing, I looked at the number of reviews in some other large cities

New York City: 24 (here is one NYC area bloggers thoughts)
Los Angeles: 13
Chicago: 10
Houston: 0

StreetAdvisor is very "social networky" and is going to have to build up a large base of people willing to write, photograph and shoot video of neighborhoods. Lots of social networks start off with slow growth, but as it tends to be "viral", growth at some point typically takes off, or the network dies.

Given that StreetAdvisor has been around since at least the May 29 TechCrunch article, and given what appears to be very limited use / acceptance, I'm not so sure this one is going to make it. Some of the marketing material I got from them today said: 

The site has been hugely popular and was applauded for giving homeowners and renters a voice online instead of simply focusing on housing values, sales, etc.

It would be interesting to see what areas of the country have experienced "huge popularity". Apparently I'm missing something.

There is a lot of potential for this site, but they face a great deal of competition from a plethora of others like city-data, Zillow's Wiki, Trulia Voices, and even Point2's Neighborhoods application on Facebook, to name but a few.  Looks like they are going to spool up some nifty features that could be a boon for both real estate consumers and professionals. From the press release (which I'd link to, but I don't think it's out yet. It was emailed to me):

Street, City, State, Country Level Contributions
Now, in addition to street reviews, people can contribute and read content for cities, states, and countries.

Enhanced Guidebooks
The new StreetAdvisor features upgraded guidebooks that now include four broader categories with options to create additional topics to help channel content related to the quality of life at each level.
 
“StreetCred” Point System
To recognize member contributions, each person earns points the more they participate, achieving a StreetCred rating from 1 to 5.  Active participants who earn a higher ranking can also earn cool prizes.

Local Expert Program
The person with the most amount of StreetCred per city will become the "Local Expert," which is a great opportunity for residents or service providers to share their expertise with others seeking inside information, shopping, entertainment recommendations, or help with buying and selling homes.
 
StreetAdvisor Billboards
“Premium” Billboards provide banner style sponsorships seeded down to all the streets within the city slot with first rights for renewal.  
“Base” sponsorship’s are similar to Google Adsense, with two slots available per city.

Here is today's TechCrunch article, which includes comments from Adam Spencer, one of StreetAdvisors founders. I'll be shocked if he pops by this little corner of the blogiverse, but I sure would like his take on how StreetAdvisor plans to "seed" the community growth and what they may have planned for both the real estate agent, as well as consumer.

Technorati Tags: StreetAdvisor, streetadvisor.com, real estate social network

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From the AZ Republic:

Gilbert's Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a zoning code amendment that would allow some downtown Heritage District homeowners to improve or replace their properties.

The affected area is east of Gilbert Road, north of the railroad tracks and south of the Western Canal. It was zoned for low density, multifamily housing as part of the town rezoning in 2005. That rezoning precluded changes to single-family housing.

Gilbert's Redevelopment Commission voted July 19 to recommend approval of the zoning code amendment.

The planning commission is scheduled to hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Gilbert Municipal Center in council chambers at 50 E. Civic Center Drive.

Typically, the Gilbert Planning Commission accepts the recommendations of the Redevelopment Commission. As the redevelopment commission has already recommended approval, it appears likely that this will pass by motion of the Planning Commission.

For details on the proposed zoning changes, see this PDF file.

Here is the full Planning Commission agenda. If you've never been to a Commission meeting (of any flavor) I highly recommend attending. If nothing else, it's seeing your local government (and tax dollars) at work, and is an interesting Civics lesson. I served on the Town of Gilbert's Human Relations Commission in the past, and it was an extremely enlightening experience. Serving on a Commission takes a LOT of time, but attending the Commission (and Town Council) meetings can be just as worthwhile without the time commitment. The Planning Commission in particular makes a ton of decisions that effect the quality of life in Gilbert, and can have a direct impact on Gilbert real estate values.

Technorati Tags: Gilbert Heritage District, Planning Commission

The Federal Housing Administration, more commonly known as the FHA, has helped countless Americans since its creation in 1934. Formed as a response to the Great Depression, the FHA insures loans for low- to moderate-income home buyers. The FHA does not actually lend the money to borrowers; it guarantees that the lender will be repaid if the borrower is unable to do so. Because of this insurance, lenders are more likely to give loans to individuals who may not otherwise be able to secure a loan, or at least not one with a decent rate. Instead of looking at applicants’ credit scores, other factors, such as employment records and utilities payments, are considered.

As with all loans, it’s critical for the borrower to understand all of the requirements and terms of a loan. Today, many are blaming the recent sub-prime loan “bust” on a lack of education and understanding. In response to this need, the Mortgage Loan Place has issued a free downloadable FHA Guide to help educate borrowers about FHA loans and the lending process. The guide includes detailed background information, eligibility requirements, alternatives to FHA loans, and step-by-step instructions to obtaining an FHA loan. The guide, which has been downloaded over one thousand times, is one step towards realizing the dream of homeownership.

Do people really fall for this sort of stuff? I have to assume they do, or I wouldn't keep getting it.

From today's spam folder:

From: "Roxanne Brewster" BethanyhuffBower@rottentomatoes.com
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:58:41 -0600
To: jay@thompsonsrealty.com
Subject: Re: Thank you, we are ready to lend you some cash. URGENT MESSAGE!

Your Credit does not matter to us!

If you have your own business and wish IMMEDIATE ready money to spend ANY way you like or need Extra money to give the business A boost or want A low interest loan - NO STRINGS ATTACHED, here is our deal we can offer you TONIGHT (hurry, this offer will expire NOW):

$41,000+ loan

Hurry, when best deal is gone, it is gone. Simply Call Us…

Don't worry about Approval, your your Credit report will not disqualify You!

Call Us Free on 877-542-xxxx (Jay's note: I xxxx'ed out the number, in case someone stops reading here and picks up the phone…)

Here's your first clue this is stoopid…. never get a loan from someone whose email address ends in "rottentomatoes.com". Heck, that's more unprofessional than a @AOL.com address… (I suspect it doesn't even work, or was hijacked from the true address owner).

Second clue: It's a "reply" email. Of course I never contacted them, so why are they replying? Is this supposed to make me think, "Oh Happy Day! Rotten Tomatoes has finally gotten back to me on my loan request!! Look honey, we can go to Disneyland now!"

Third clue: "Your Credit does not matter to us!"  Of course your credit matters. At least to a legit lender.

Fourth clue: "here is our deal we can offer you TONIGHT (hurry, this offer will expire NOW)". Um, if it's expired NOW, then isn't it…. well…. already expired?

Fifth clue: "your your Credit report will not disqualify You!" See clue #4. And never never do do business business with a "professional" that can't proofread an URGENT MESSAGE. (Ditto if they have a problem with how to capitalize words)

Seriously folks. Don't fall for this sort of crap. No legitimate lender will give you a "$41,000+" loan regardless of your credit, no strings attached on an offer that expires NOW. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Tomorrow I start six weeks of brokers licensing classes. 6:30 - 10:00pm four days a week. I'm hoping it's not as tortuous as the sales licensing class.

The Arizona School of Real Estate has two campuses — one five miles away from me in Gilbert, the other one is located 26 miles away in Scottsdale. Naturally, the brokers classes are only offered in Scottsdale…

There is a plethora of "alphabet soup" designations available for real estate agents. Personally I think the "designation" of Broker may be more valuable than the lot. Besides, it's easier to fit, "Jay Thompson, Broker" on a business card than, "Jay Thompson, ABR, ABRM, ALC, CCIM, CIPS, CPM, CRB, CRS, CRE,  GRI, PMN, RCC, RAA, SRES, SIOR, e-PRO, RSPS, TRC". . .

I'll try to share here any tidbits of info I glean from my studies.  Hopefully there will be useful information for those interested in real estate, as well as real estate consumers and RE professionals.

Technorati Tags: Real estate school, brokers licensing